Confession: I didn’t start networking because I’d heard it was the newest fad in self-promotion, or because I was looking to increase my business. Nope. I started networking because I’d just had a baby, and those once-a-week networking lunches gave me an excuse to get out of the house, and get some much-needed adult conversation.

So…once a week, I’d get dressed up nice in my post-maternity outfit (which, by the way, looked an awful lot like my actual maternity outfits!), and go spend 90 minutes eating good food and talking about grown-up stuff…with a little business talk thrown in for good measure.

See, because my main priority was something other than business, I didn’t have to wear my salesperson hat. Instead, I focused on learning about the members of the group, and building relationships with them. And wouldn’t ya know it? Over time, as the people in the group got to know me, I began getting business. It was then that I realized the remarkable power behind building a professional network, and that to make networking WORK, I had to build relationships!

Since that first networking experience way back when, I’ve gone from a reluctant networker to an avid networker, and now I even run my own monthly networking group. For me, networking is not – and has never been – about selling…otherwise it would be called “net-selling” or “sell-working” (both of which evoke images of over-aggressive used-car salesmen types.) Maybe a more apt term would be “relationship working,” or better yet, “relationship building,” because ultimately that’s what successful networkers are doing: building a network of professionals with whom they have a relationship or connection with.

So the next time someone mentions networking, or invites you to an event, leave your salesperson hat at home. Go meet some people, be yourself and have fun! Eventually, what you do for a living will come up…but by that time, they’ll already love you, and will be more than happy to start sending business your way!

Join me next time, as I continue my journey Out of the Bedroom,
Tamar Wallace | Principal, TAMAR Graphics

Research has shown that the typical client/designer relationship lasts two - three years. Usually, when a relationship goes South, the communication stops. That’s understandable. Sometimes there are bad feelings over something that happened during a project and such. But, often, it’s a matter of contacts changing. People move on, get promoted, you get busy with other things and the communication fades.

Word to the wise – strive to keep the lines of communication open. With the holidays coming up, this is a great time of year to rekindle an old relationship. Consider dropping a contact a holiday card. Or, pick up the phone to say “hello.”

Let me give you a couple of examples.

There’s this guy who was my boss in the previous incarnation about 20 some odd years ago. We had become pretty good friends during the time I worked for him. When I left that position for greener pastures, we kept in touch. A phone call here. A lunch there.

After a while, he left the company to set out on his own. When he needed some design work, he called me. As luck would have it, he was something of a broker. His clients became my clients.

Several years later, he closed up shop to take a job offer that he simply couldn’t refuse. Guess what? That company became a client. This scenario repeated itself several more times over the years. Simply keeping in touch resulted in thousands of dollars in billings over time.

Here’s another example. I had a local client for whom I did a boat load of work a while back. After a few years, things changed. My key contact was promoted to a position that didn’t get involved with design. Another contact, the Marketing Director, left the company. The President launched a new branding directive and a new Marketing Director came on board. Although I had been doing much of their branding-related work, she elected to team up with her own people. That’s not all that unusual.

The work dried up, but I kept in touch here and there.

After not hearing a peep out of these folks for quite a while, I get a phone call. One of the company divisions had a trade show coming up and they needed help creating a center panel for a display. To make a very long story short, that one panel turned into designing 15 full displays. Cha ching! Not too shabby.

Then came an email a couple of weeks after I finished the displays. “Could I come in for a meeting?” Sure thing. During that meeting, I learned that the relationship with the Marketing Director’s “people” had soured. The client needed a fresh look for their enterprise-wide branding. They wanted me to redesign their web site … and every marketing material the company had in its arsenal – brochures, PowerPoints and more. This client is a 100 million dollar+ company. Son of cha ching!
The thing is, this was a result of not giving up and not burning any bridges.

So, your job-at-hand is to go through your past contacts and dig up some folks you’ve not heard from in a while. Then, pick up (or better, custom design) some holiday cards and shoot ‘em out. Or, pick up the phone and give them a call. Take them out for a holiday lunch.

This is a perfect time of year for rekindling relationships. You might just find those couple of cards, phone calls or lunches are the best gift you can give to your practice.

Until the next
Marketing Minute
all the best,
nt

Here at the Marketing Minute, you may have noticed the suspect absence of a key marketing activity – networking. Why, you ask? Well, like a lot of designers out there, it’s not one of my favorite things. But, none the less I do it.

Most extroverted folks are great at networking events. They’re all bubbly, chatty and such. They make us introverted folks cringe sometimes.

Me, an introvert?

Yup, ‘fraid so gang. I’ve always been a bit shy, even way back in the dark ages when I was but a mere kidlet. Yet, I don’t have any problem with public speaking – the task that rates higher than death on the “Stressful things to do” list. I’m also the guy who starts up the conversation when nobody else will at a club lunch. Go figure.

How did I deal with being a happy introvert in the business world? Easy. I married an extrovert who also was my business partner. She was (and is) probably one of the best sales people I’ve ever met. She can still fire up a comfy conversation with anyone.

Then, I got divorced. Ut oh …

I found myself sitting on the couch in my nifty new apartment one evening after a workday, thinking, “Gee … what do I do with myself now?” I needed to figure out how I was going to get out there and all chummy with new prospects.

Here’s what I did. Odds are, it will work for all you other card-carrying introverts out there, too.

I found the best extrovert I knew and did what he did. I acted “as if.” “As if” I was a chatty type and “as if” I was a public speaker. And guess what? It worked. And, it wasn’t too tough, either.

Simply acting as if you where a dynamic networking mogul can get you over the hump and learn the skills. When you’re in a situation, just think, “What would [insert extrovert du jour] do or say?” Picture your extrovert model person in your seat and just do and say as you believe they would. That might sound like a big lull in the conversation’s looming, but not really. Odds are you’ve seen your model in the same or similar situation and your brain will work pretty quick.

But what if you screw up and say or do something stupid? So what? It’s important to remember that everybody does or says something stupid at times. We’re all human. I usually try to say something funny and call attention to my idiotic faux pas. We all have a good laugh and move on with things. It’s important not to take ourselves too seriously at times.

Here’s a case in point. It wasn’t a major knee-slapper, but it’s stuck in my memory for about 30 years. A good bud of mine, and also a brilliant sales guy, was at the checkout counter at a drugstore with me. He pulled out his wallet and all his dough fell out onto the floor. Without so much as a pregnant pause, he said, “Oh geez, what a vulgar display of wealth.” Everybody around cracked up.

After a while it gets easier and soon you find yourself being comfortable in situations that used to terrify you. You might even find you look forward to them.

If you need some more ammo, read, How To Quick-Start Networking Conversations, by Ilise Benun on RainToday.com (a great site about marketing services, by the way).

So, go forth and network, acting “as if” and release the happy extrovert living inside of you.

Until the next
Marketing Minute
all the best,
nt

I was talking to a friend of mine the other day, saying that all of the sudden, I’m just so busy. I’m getting bigger clients, bigger projects, referrals left and right, and was even recently asked to be the guest of honor at a business networking event. His response was that it was much like the musician who spends years playing weddings and rinky-dink bars, only to become an “overnight success.”

So yeah, “all of the sudden” I’m busy, and some great opportunities are coming my way…but the reality is that it’s taken more than eight years to get to this point. I feel like I’ve paid my dues, and am finally starting to reap the benefits from all of my hard work and effort.

When I started TAMAR Graphics, I had no idea what I was doing…and learned pretty much through trial and error (oh, if only Business of Design Online had been around back then…) But I stuck it out.

When I lost my main client (who provided 90% of my income – not something I recommend, by the way), I was so ready to throw in the towel, but was fortunate enough to be in a situation financially where I could try to rebuild…and I did.

When my son was born, I went through another transition, and wondered if trying to build a business while adjusting to my new role as “mother” was too much. Again I decided to tough it out.

So by the time we moved, I figured I could handle the challenges of rebuilding my business in a new and unfamiliar area with my eyes closed. Okay, so maybe that’s a slight exaggeration, but I really wasn’t prepared for the challenges I faced. Who knew geography plays such a big role when it comes to marketing and promoting a business? I sure didn’t.

Once I got here, and realized that I wasn’t going to be able to just walk out my door and get business, I looked at my options.

As networking had been a big help in building business when I was in Austin, I figured I’d give it a try here. Unfortunately, there weren’t any networking groups that seemed like the right fit for me. So I started my own through Meetup.com. It took a really long time to get going, and there were several times when I was the only one there, but with patience and persistence, I built up membership, and now my networking luncheons fill up every month. Now, I’m meeting other business people, making connections and getting referrals from members that have led to some pretty exciting projects. And running my networking group has opened doors to other events and opportunities.

Another tool I used to help get my name out there was to respond to my local Business Journal’s “A Lesson Learned” section. I’m not sure if this was specific to the Boston Business Journal, but every week I used to receive an email asking questions like, “Is networking important to your business?” and “What type of personality does it take to be an entrepreneur?” While I had to keep my responses to 50 words or less, if my response was chosen, it was a free way to get my name – and photo – in the business journal. Unfortunately, the “A Lesson Learned” section has been discontinued, but I got at least one call or email each time my response was featured, so it was well worth the effort for me.

Actually, writing in general has been very successful for me. I started in December 2005 with a free blog on Blogger.com. Then, I started writing this column, which forced me to develop a plan, and document my progress, ultimately holding myself accountable – something I desperately needed. And, as part of my plan, I’ve started writing press releases. In addition to submitting press releases to trade journals, I found PRNewswire.com, which has been invaluable. I received a complimentary 1-year membership complete with one year of free web distribution of my releases. I highly recommend checking them out if you haven’t already.

Of course, I’ve also become more involved in my community and my son’s school, just to meet people…because you just never know who you’ll meet. And whether I meet them through networking events, the community or just by chance, if we connect, I always invite them out for coffee or lunch. That gives me the opportunity to get to know them better, and begin building a relationship – a key to successful networking.

So yeah…as you can see, my “all of the sudden” moment has taken some time and effort. But the point is that I got here. I’ve still got a ways to go before I’m Out of the Bedroom, but hey, if you work hard enough, put in enough time and effort, and pay your dues, maybe you, too, can become an overnight success!

Resources:

Networking
• Meetup
• Biznik - Business Networking that Doesn’t Suck
• Business Networking International (BNI)
• LinkedIn
• ConnectBuzz
• Wild Women Entrepreneurs
• Business Networking Me
• FastPitch
• Bizmeed
• Facebook

Blogging
• Blogger
• WordPress - free blogs
• WordPress.org - Open source blogging software and customizable themes
• Typepad.com

PR Resources
• Writing a Press Release
• PR Newswire
• PRWeb.com
• PRLeap.com

Misc
• Business Journals
• US Chamber of Commerce

Join me next time, as I continue my journey Out of the Bedroom,
Tamar Wallace | Principal, TAMAR Graphics